Office 365 For Business – Gold Coast IT Solutions
OUTLOOK The email service, task management, calendar application, and contacts manager included with business Office 365 subscriptions are under the Outlook branch of the web brand. It includes Outlook Mail, Outlook Calendar, Outlook People, and Outlook Tasks. Microsoft also introduced an email feature called Clutter with Office 365. Clutter memorises user’s preferences regarding relevance and importance of their emails. It analyses the user’s pattern of behaviour about email subjects, if user keeps ignoring emails from a certain sender or subject, Clutter files those emails to a folder with the same name in Outlook. HOSTED SERVICES The business plans for Office 365 offer access to cloud-hosted versions of Office’s server platforms on a software as a service basis, which include Exchange, Skype for Business, SharePoint, and the browser-based Office Web Apps suite. The SharePoint’s OneDrive for Business program provides each user with 15 GB of online storage. OFFICE APPLICATIONS Some plans for Office 365 do also include access to current versions of the Office desktop applications for both Windows and OS X for the duration of their subscription. For Office 2016 on Windows, it is installed using a “click-to-run” system which allows users to begin using the applications almost immediately while files are streamed in the background. All updates to the software are installed automatically, this includes both security updates and major new versions of Office. If an Office 365 subscription lapses, the applications become read-only and the editing functionality is disabled. Full functionality is restored when the new subscription is purchased and activated. COLLABORATION TOOLS Office 365 includes several productivity applications that are designed to cover collaboration needs at the organizational, departmental and team levels. Currently, the list of collaboration tools includes OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, Yammer, Skype, Outlook Online and Delve boards. There are several approaches to defining the role of Office 365 collaboration tools in an organization. The main considerations that influence the choice of a certain tool depend on communication needs, team size, project specifics, and keeping in mind the employees’ personal preferences. Depending on what you need to do, each collaboration tool suits a work situation. SharePoint Online is often used as a platform for corporate intranets and portals, much the same way as SharePoint On-Premises does. At the same time, SharePoint Online comes not only with team sites but also with communication sites and hub sites. Microsoft Teams allow collaboration channels for public and private communication, as well as voice and video conferences. Outlook Online hosts email-based collaboration. Yammer is used for communication with business users outside of the organization and enables forum style team communication. Skype for Business supports instant messaging, VoIP, audio, video and web conferencing. As for Delve boards, they allow creating boards to group together and share related documents. Additionally, there are Office 365 Groups that represent rather a technological capability within the suite than a tool apart. Office 365 Groups allow creating separate collaboration spaces in other Office 365 tools. An Office 365 Group can be organized in Outlook, SharePoint Online, Yammer, Microsoft Teams and other collaboration tools to diversify the native collaboration capabilities of these applications. For example, if a team collaborates in a Group in Yammer, its members automatically get a team calendar, a shared Outlook inbox, a SharePoint library, a SharePoint team site, a shared OneNote notebook and Planner. UPDATES The Office 365 platform have implemented a rolling release model; updates to the online aspects of the service are provided once every quarter.
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How To Grow Your Business Using Big Data And Analytics
Data, particularly big data is a big thing in business circles. It will help your business make smarter decisions based off solid evidence. What data is relevant to your business Choosing a source and type of data to use can be overwhelming for many business owners. The first thing is to work out what insights your business needs and asking the right questions. Do you want to improve your customer service or get feedback on a new product? Do you have a clear understanding of how your customer interacts on your website? The next step is to decide how you want to collect this data. Where will you source your data from? You may not think your small business generates much data but you would be surprised! Have a think about your business activities, common places to source your data are in-store sales figures, your social media platforms, newsletter subscriptions and traffic to your website. These figures will give you a benchmark and put you in a position to do something with the results. This is when we bring in the analytics software and tools to assist you with interpreting your customers’ decisions and movements. Big data tools If your customers are interacting with your product or service via your website you want to understand their movements. Google Analytics is a free tool that will give you data on a range of things from website performance to user behaviors. CRM tools are a great way to track, generate and manage your incoming leads effectively. Majority of social media platforms have inbuilt data analytics capabilities so you can easily track how your social media activities are performing. You will also need a safe place to store this data. Dedicated cloud and hosting services will not only store it securely, but they can also analyze multiple data sources simultaneously. Usually, this is done via a customisable dashboard using simple graphs and charts. This could help you determine the pricing of your inventory, identify new customers and even pinpoint what content your audience takes notice of. The insights you get from big data can help you make smarter decisions that will ultimately grow your small business.
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What Is The Real Cost Of An Ineffective IT System?
Here in Australia, IT issues cost business roughly $3,456 every year for each employee. So if you are a small business with 10 employees, that’s $34,560 annually in lost productivity. Servers that randomly disconnect; software updates that take your computer hostage and demand money for its release; files that cant open on the out of date XP OS you’re using… Its time to upgrade your IT system. Ineffective IT Systems create stress for your employees who become frustrated with fighting against the computer to complete their work. Managing the systems that run your business is a big (and time-consuming task) and it only gets more involved as your business grows. HERE ARE 10 SIGNS YOU NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR CURRENT IT: YOUR SYSTEMS AREN’T IN LINE WITH THE BUSINESS NEEDS. Constantly trying out new technologies is not always the best plan of attack. If what you are currently using works, then stick with it. Provided it’s flexible enough to adapt to your growing needs, there is no cause for concern. If you are worried about the current technology or technologies you are using are preventing you from growing your business, then it’s time to change your strategy. COMPLAINTS FROM CLIENTS. Receiving multiple complaints is something you can’t ignore. It could be because your data is not being handled correctly, is not being forwarded onto the right departments or your reporting systems aren’t efficient. Or, the technologies that run your business are no longer supporting the demands of your customers. Either way, these problems can be prevented if you invest in the right technology and have the right systems in place to handle the demands. YOU ARE UP AGAINST UNEXPECTED IT EXPENSES. Inadequate IT planning results in poor understanding of your businesses requirements which results in wrong tech investments and lack of foresight and forward planning. Although unplanned IT-related expenses are not totally avoidable, they can be considerably minimised if IT costs are accurately estimated and effectively managed. For this, you need the high-level knowledge of IT experts. DATA IS LOST. 99% of data loss is directly related to the way you save, share, and handle your data. Do you have a system that encrypts your data before it is sent to a backup storage? Do you have adequate spam, anti-virus, and malware protection? Are you controlling user access to data? If you are losing data, chances are you don’t have correct safety measures in place, or they are failing. SLOW IT SUPPORT. Your IT staff need to be fast and responsive in attending to your IT issues to avoid problems falling through the cracks. LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY. Poor productivity in the workplace is often a result of poor/slow computer systems, it could be your slow Internet connectivity, applications constantly crashing, outdated systems or a combination of IT-related issues that chew up employees time and ultimately cost YOU money. If these issues remain unresolved, it can affect your business growth and you may lose your high-performers. THERE’S NO PLAN IN PLACE FOR GROWTH. Your IT supports your business goals and your growth. If your IT strategy is not adequate or not aligned with your goals, you are just wasting your money. THERE’S NO SAFETY NET, DISASTER RECOVERY OR BACKUP STRATEGY SHOULD DISASTER STRIKE. Do not underestimate the need for every business to prepare for worst-case scenarios. Being a small business is no excuse not to have a plan in place as anyone, anywhere could be a target. Your disaster recovery plan should be created and implemented by experts with a thorough understanding of your business operations – consider all the possible aspects that could go wrong and identify all the viable solutions to the problems being considered. YOUR IT TEAM ISN’T IN TOUCH WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND SYSTEMS. Hiring an IT team is only one element. Unless you are on top of training with key vendors and have a system to keep track of new innovations and how to use them, you could be missing important developments that could improve your business. Similarly, you may also not be aware of new security threats and bugs and how they can be prevented from impacting your business. YOU ARE ALWAYS BRINGING IN IT SUPPORT FOR ISSUES THAT COULD BE PREVENTED WITH MANAGED IT. Your IT support might be mostly centered on ad hoc issue resolution, instead of preventive maintenance. So, by the time a problem blows up, you have no other choice but to get outside help to fix the problem. This can be a costly exercise and a mean a blowout for your budget.
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Remote IT Support
WHAT IS REMOTE SUPPORT? • Remote support is a secure service, which allows representatives to help the client to solve their computer problems remotely. This can be done either by displaying the steps to take through screen sharing or the alternative that involves taking control of desktops to perform tasks remotely. Most times, remote support is used in conjunction with a phone call to provide support. • This allows the technician to diagnose the problem and play with several potential steps to provide a resolution to the issue and verifies the resolution that has been implemented. Remote support is always done via the Internet. This allows the technician to work from their workstation and eliminates the need to move the computer which can be a big hassle for the client. A desktop sharing software is what is used to feed the remote support trouble-shooter with rapid-fire screenshots from the screen of the problematic computer. Also, mouse clicks and keystrokes are captured by the remote support trouble-shooter and sent to the technician which allows them to view what is happening on their client’s computer and work out what action to take to resolve the issue. REMOTE SUPPORT BENEFITS Now that you understand what remote support is let us explain the benefits of the service for your business. • EfficiencyThis is one of remote support’s biggest benefits. This is because it cuts out the time that would have been used on travel to see a client, getting the job done more efficiently. The only downtime involved in remote support is connecting the remote support software online. • Multi-taskingThis is a worthwhile benefit for those who keep asking why to use remote support. It allows the technician to successfully complete several jobs. This allows the technician to have a number of billable hours taken care of in a shorter time period. • After HoursRemote support is perfect for after-hours jobs that may occur. This generally applies to issues such as Windows updates and server errors. It is the perfect solution for situations where clients have an issue but don’t have the time for the technician to work on the problem.
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How To Give Your Business A Digital Transformation
The process of digitally transforming your business requires strategies and should be treated more as an ongoing process rather than a one-off overhaul. A well-executed transformation will get you the business rewards and achieve digital excellence. KNOW YOUR GOALS Before you even start to consider putting any changes in place, it is essential for you to evaluate and assess the objective of your business. If you’re a sales team that relies on cloud computing, then your needs are going to be very different to a company with factories to produce. When you know your long term business goals you can identify the key areas where applying digital systems will make your business run more smoothly. HIRE AN EXPERT Utilizing a professional with ensuring your transformation is a smooth one.Sit down and have a chat about your goals so they can work out a plan around your needs. You need someone who can thoroughly asses your business and engage technology that fulfills those business goals and expectations.Every business is different, and their digital needs will alter depending on the sector. What is essential for one company may not be useful for another, which is why you need to continue to implement new technologies. Once you have begun to move over to digital tools and services, you’ll start to see your business is able to run more efficiently, saving you both money, time and resources. By failing to adapt to the changing tech landscape, you are seriously undermining your potential to thrive.
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Using Live Chat To Build Customer Engagement
Live chat is a great technology to increase your customer engagement, stay competitive in your niche, and convert those who’re interested in your product/service into buyers. Here are a few statistics to back it up: • 68 percent of website visitors will use the live chat feature and 63 percent of them return to websites that are offering live chat for a repeat purchase. • 38 percent of all online visitors will complete a purchase during a live chat • A live chat feature has been found to increase a website’s conversions by more than 20 percent If you haven’t added a live chat feature to your website, you’re missing out on all the positive benefits. Engage your audience! While this may seem like a complicated way to work towards improving conversions it is easy and effective. Below we go through a few of the benefits a chat service can bring to your site BE AVAILABLE AROUND THE CLOCK 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday doesn’t cut it online. Customers shop around the clock and expect their customer service to be available anytime. If you don’t have in-house staff to handle the chat outside business hours, you can hire virtual assistants to assist customers 24/7. TIME INITIATING THE CHAT RIGHT There will be several types of visitors on your site. Some will be taking their time making up their mind on purchase, some just browsing and some who know exactly what they want. It is a good idea to use software with tracking features to understand your visitors’ movements better and learn how to target the right visitors, especially on pages you have targeted call to actions. GET REAL Customers don’t want to feel like their talking to a robot. Train your staff to personalize their chats, call the customer by name. This is possible after prompting the customer to provide name, email and contact number. ADDRESS YOUR CUSTOMERS PROBLEMS Sometimes it can work in your favor to swallow the loss if live chat agents are addressing a customer’s pain point in return. This strategy, apart from increasing live chat conversions, has the potential to bring in recurring business and build customer loyalty. OFFER/SUGGEST SOMETHING VALUABLE Most live chat software features include loads of information on the visitor, which can in turn be used to provide valuable customer service. By going through a customer’s chat history and information, live chat agents can provide them with valuable suggestions. For example, if a customer shows dissatisfaction towards a product design, the support representative should take a minute to see whether an alternate item with a different design, but same features is available. If the option is available, it can be suggested to build valuable leads. UPSELL, UPSELL, UPSELL After you demonstrate value and make the case for a higher level of customer service, you can try increasing conversions by upselling. Once the agent has engaged visitors by understanding their needs, they are in a better position to recommend upgrades, add-ons, etc. Internet Retailer revealed that Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. uses live chat to achieve conversion rates as high as 23 percent. Customers that used their live chat converted a rate 3.5 times higher than the customers who didn’t engage the chat feature. The interesting fact is that the UK-based airlines don’t use their live chat to push airline ticket sales but as an opportunity to upsell. Their customers are already in the decision-making phase when purchasing their tickets online and upgrading their purchase to include priority seating, personalized meals, etc is easier. This increases overall averages of sale value and total sale revenue. TAKE CUSTOMERS WHERE THEY NEED TO BE A number of live chat agents overlook the fact that their visitors may not know where to go on a website. For example, they may want to look at the faq page before completing their order but don’t really know how to find it. As a result, your chat agents can make things easy for them by sending the links which redirect them to their webpage of choice, and that’s how you facilitate actions that lead to conversions
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Ransomware
Ransomware attacks are on the rise and a real concern for many businesses. For those who are unfamiliar ransomware is a malicious software that blocks your access to your computer by encrypting your files and data. It often drops into your inbox in the form of spam an or unsolicited email attachment asking you to update your account details or information. Clicking on the link activates the “worm” to begin downloading and infecting your computer blocking you from your files and data You are then asked to pay a ‘ransom” or attackers destroy your data. For many businesses, the effects of losing data would be disastrous. Small and Medium-sized businesses are prime targets due to their limited IT resources. For more info on ransomware – Warning signs to look out for, how to educate your staff and protect your business from an attack –
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IT Solutions Gold Coast (Digitally Transform Your Business)
THERE ARE 4 KEY PILLARS TO ANY DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION • Cloud • Mobile • Big Data • Social HOW DO THESE PILLARS MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Equipping your staff with mobile technology and keeping the connection without being tied to the office is a wonderful way to increase productivity and availability in the workforce. Today’s workers need the flexibility of being able to work anywhere and anytime. GETTING READY TO MAKE A CHANGE AND DIGITALLY TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS? There are three important questions a business needs to consider: • Why do we need to transform? • What do we need to transform? • How can we transform? Everywhere and anytime a customer, staff member or partner interacts with your business, it should be a consistent and positive experience. This is the change that drives customer loyalty and staff retention pushes down costs and increases revenue. This is how a digital transformation will allow your business to respond instantly to the marketplace, innovate faster, analyse more deeply and anticipate what your users what they want almost before they know they want it. We have created an e-book to give you more info on the various aspects of a digital transformation
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Upgrade Your IT Systems (Maximise Your Business Potential)
How long has it been since you last updated your businesses IT software? You could be wasting valuable time on basic tasks because your computer system struggles with routine traffic. You don’t need to over complicate the process, start by considering your current systems, business needs and your budget. From there you can put together an upgrade strategy best suited to your business. A major upgrade can be daunting so we have put together a guide to help you through the process. In this guide we cover: • Where to start • Long Term strategy • Upgrade checklist If you have been thinking about upgrading your systems we recommend you read our comprehensive guide and you can always give us a call on (07) 5520 1211
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How Efficient Is Your Computer System?
HOW EFFICIENT IS YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM? If you… • Have noticed slow speeds on your computers networks • Had an increase in lost productivity due to technology issues recently • Would like to ensure technology is working for, not against your business growth Then you may need to look at optimizing your computer system. By taking action and having an experienced IT specialist thoroughly assess your computer network, you can instantly identify problems and inefficiencies in your businesses IT systems and provide solutions to help you maximize the return on your technology investment. With technology constantly changing and updating and the amount of data piling up in your systems growing every day, your computer networks can quickly become overrun resulting in… • Reduced employee productivity due to slow networks and IT outages • Outdated security and back-up solutions that are easily penetrated by Malware and viruses • Inefficient technology systems, which harm your businesses profitability and competitiveness SO, WHAT EXACTLY IS SYSTEM OPTIMISATION? System optimization is the term of system science, and now it is usually defined as the term of computer technology. System optimization requires reducing running processes in computer, changing work mode, deleting unnecessary break off for more efficient computer performance, optimizing file location for faster data write & read, freeing more system resources for computer use and reducing unnecessary system boot processes, etc. This will increase the stability and speed of computers, no harm to hardware. Computer system optimization includes many fields, it can clean Windows Temp Files in temp folder, free disk space, clean registry, reduce the possibility of system errors. It can also speed up computer boot, hold back auto-start processes, speed up internet speed and computer shutdown. Or even personalize the theme of Windows. WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF OPTIMIZING MY SYSTEM? Even computers with the powerful third and fourth generation i7 Gigahertz processing power and Gigabytes of RAM need to be optimized. If you use your computer on a daily basis, you may not realize that it is getting slower by the day. The computer registry gets cluttered with useless registry keys and it just is not smart enough to get rid of the clutter on its own. The computer hard drive also gets cluttered with useless files that can and will slow your PC to a crawl if not properly optimized daily. REGISTRY CLEANING AND OPTIMIZATION Everything done on a computer whether programs are installed and uninstalled or simple tasks like web browsing are kept in the registry until it is cleaned out or optimized. A knowledgeable computer person can optimize the registry manually if he has way too much time on his hands but that is not recommended. If the wrong registry keys are deleted, the computer will become very unstable often unbootable. This is where a registry optimization program comes in handy. For example, when you eat too much your body slows down to a crawl until some of the food is digested or removed in another way. The same thing happens to the computer hard drive. Over time, it stores files that are not needed and slows down the computer until these junk files are removed. Again, this can be done manually but who has the time to dig around the Windows file system. HARD DRIVE OPTIMIZATION • you uninstall a program, more than likely the folder for that program is still on the hard drive and referenced in the registry. If you browse the Internet, temporary Internet files are cached on the system. Some of the cached files are okay because they are intended to make web browsing faster by not having to download an entire web page every time it is viewed. The problem is that it also stores files if you only go to a web site once and those files are unnecessary and will slow the computer down. A good computer optimization system will remove the unnecessary clutter on the hard drive thus optimizing the computer. By having an experienced tech take care of your system optimisation you will have all the necessary tools available to maximize computer performance with very little effort on your part. A computer needs to be cleaned up in more ways than the average person has time for. The file system needs to optimized at regular intervals. The hard drive needs defragmenting. The registry needs to be defragged and optimized. Outdated system device drivers can slow your PC to a crawl. All of this keeps your computer running at its peak performance however it’s something we often neglect. If you would like more info on how we can help you optimize your system give us a call on (07) 5520 1211
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